Fetal and perinatal medicine

We are enthusiastic about forming part of a multidisciplinary team that joins forces to improve people’s health from the gestation period

Current research

Problem

The group views the foetus as a patient. Therefore, while it is in the uterus, certain diseases can be diagnosed and treated so that, in the future, any sequelae will be minimal or will completely disappear.

The group’s research focuses particularly on the heart and the brain because foetal programming is key during the development of these organs. The group is also developing new intrauterine treatments that can revert or mitigate certain foetal disorders.

Approach

The group is made up of 70 people of 20 different nationalities, trained in different scientific disciplines. The research areas are foetal cardiac programming, prematurity, foetal neurodevelopment, foetal therapy and surgery, placental diseases and the influence of the environment during pregnancy.

To ensure the correct development of these areas, the group has created a structure with the following four platforms: biobank, animal platform, postnatal follow-up and management.

Impact

The results obtained in the research areas show that it is very important to perform careful, specialized follow-up of the pregnancy. This makes it possible to detect possible deficiencies in the creation of the foetus’s vital organs.